Early last Monday morning the Year 5 boys and staff left for Hilltop, an outdoor pursuit centre near Sheringham on the north Norfolk coast. The aim of the trip is largely to help build relationships between the boys and their tutors, but also to develop our school values as life skills in a very different environment. There were excellent opportunities for boys to demonstrate love, self-discipline, courage, humility and gratitude.
Each member of staff worked with a team of 9-10 boys from their tutor group. The weather was cloudy, sunny, wet and dry, but the boys made the most of the beautiful surroundings and excellent facilities. Over the course of four sessions with the Hilltop staff, the boys got stuck into a range of challenges including an assault course, low ropes, the vertical challenge, archery, climbing and crate stacking. The infamous super swing and big zipper were probably the most memorable activities, with boys on the whole enjoying a challenge involving height and speed!
The boys’ experiences ranged from the sense of adventure gained from playing ‘owls and mice’ in the evening to enjoying the warm crackle of a campfire with toasted marshmallows. During their free time boys could discover minibeasts around the pond, build dens in the woods, or climb around the pirate ship, all of which added to the pleasure of being in the countryside.
The boys were without exception great company, threw themselves into the activities and returned home with new friends, memories to treasure, a sense of achievement and total exhaustion!
